If it ain't broke don't fix it recipe – cauliflower cheese

This dish is always a labour of love and therapy too – the ultimate veggie comfort food that always hits the spot.

Here's the original recipe, as promised :

Baked Cauliflower Cheese

I steam a whole head of cauliflower (medium to large), minus its leaves, until tender and then set it aside on a tray lined with layers of kitchen roll. This allows all the moisture to drain away from the cauliflower, ready to finish later on. Next make a mornay sauce – which can be made ahead and fridged if more convenient. I also grate Parmesan cheese in readiness to garnish the cauliflower dish and plan to be generous and sprinkle liberally!

Mornay Sauce

Serves 4-6

40g unsalted butter

40g plain flour

600ml of milk – I use semi skimmed

150g mature Cheddar cheese

(or a combination of Cheddar and gruyere)

celery salt and black pepper

½ tsp Dijon mustard - optional

Melt the butter in a pan and stir in the flour. Cook gently for a minute, stirring – make sure you don't brown the mixture. Gradually add the milk whisking constantly and eventually bring to the boil, whisking until it's smooth and thick. Lower the heat and simmer for 2 minutes, then add the cheese, mustard and season. I'd taste before you add salt – there's salt in the cheese – adjust accordingly.

Pat the cauliflower dry and kitchen roll and remove the florets – keep them to a similar size if you can and place in your serving dish (with any additional veggies). Season with celery salt and black pepper, spoon over the mornay sauce, sprinkle with Parmesan and add more black pepper to taste.

It's all cooked so will only need 30 minutes at 180fan/200c/Gas 6.

Leftover cauliflower cheese is even better, re-heating gives you crispy, cheesy bits – always assuming you have any leftovers!

Just before I go, a thought - if you can try and look forward to food – if you're self isolating and alone I know that's easier said than done. Treat yourself to an ingredient you love – indulge.

If you're with family get them to pitch in prepping or cooking and make it fun – remember when we sat down at a table and shared not just a meal but a conversation too? If you love to cook how about teaching as you go?

Until next time … x

Musing – the running recipe

I mentioned previously that running helps clear my head and occasionally gives me ideas too, which is why the following is referred to as the running recipe.

Picture the scene … in silent exercise it occurs to me, I love cauliflower cheese but it can be a tad boring, so I've decided to modify what some may say doesn't need modification.

The running recipe – Cauliflower Bake

additions

225g of onion, finely diced

(1 medium onion)

Melt the butter from the recipe given for the Mornay Sauce and sweat the onions gently for about 10 minutes until they are soft, season with celery salt and black pepper. Continue with the recipe, adding the flour, cook gently, don't brown the mixture.

I have leftover cooked potatoes and so am adding 500g of cooked Charlotte potatoes, finely diced to add to the steamed cauliflower.

As a guide, I weighed the cauliflower after having removed the outer leaves – 730g approximately. You could add broccoli – steamed - or any cooked veggies you've got leftover.

If you don't have Charlotte potatoes but have baked jacket potatoes you could use steamed cauliflower and broccoli (plus any other leftover cooked veggies) together with the Mornay Sauce as a base and then add sliced cooked, baked potatoes as a topping, garnishing with grated Parmesan – a Cauliflower Cheese Pie!

If you'd like to introduce a meat element then you could add crispy chorizo and its delicious oil to the topping or, if you have a stash of boxed bacon bits they would be perfect too.

here's the result – for the record adding the onion

to the mornay was the best idea – double yum!

May be it's not a case of “if it ain't broke don't fix it” after all … here's the original recipe.